Getting ready for the cold.

25092009

For our second voyage to Antarctica, Lake Bonney and the Taylor Glacier with ENDURANCE, I’ve decided to jump into the blogging world and share my experiences (and pictures). So welcome, come on in, share my view.

Right now, the main preparations are complete: everyone on the team has medically qualified, the new battery system for ENDURANCE has been shipped, the travel arrangements to New Zealand have been made. There’s still a few software things to finish before we leave on October 9. Oh, and I want to buy a new pair of hiking or trail running shoes as my day-to-day wear.

Mostly, I’m thinking about how #*$@ cold it’s going to be for us this year. We’re getting into the field more than a month earlier than last year. There will actually be a few sundowns and sunups at the beginning of our time there, before the eternal summer sun appears. The balmy above-freezing temperatures we enjoyed around Christmas at the end of last year’s gig are going to be replaced by darkness and sub-zero (Fahrenheit) weather at the beginning of this one. Sleeping in the tents is going to be a new experience, and instead of finding liquid water in the streams, we’re going to have to rely on gathering and melting glacier berries (chunks of ice). A new challenge.